Lowervator



Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

UNITE s'm" WILLARD I-I. NUTTING, on OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR' TOTHE PARAFFINE COMPANIES, Inc, oF'sAn FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORATION or DELA- WARE.

LOWERVATOR.

Application filed August 10, 1927. Serial No. 211,993.

My invention relates to a lowervator for gravitally conducting articlesfrom one level to another and the broad object of my lnvention is theprovision of a loWervat-or which will resist the free falling of objectstherethrough. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a'lowervator of thecharacter described and including a vertical series of inclinedguideways.

Another object of my invention 1s to provide a lowervator of thecharacter described with a passage for gravitally conducting articles.

Another objectof my invention is to provide a lowervator of thecharacter described, with means for holding the articles in the bottomthereof. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a lowervator of thecharacter described, and including resilient means adjacent the lowerends of the guideways for resisting the force of gravity upon articlesfalling from one guideway to another.

Other objects of the invention together with the foregoing will be setforth in the following description of the preferred embodiment of meansfor practicing the invention, and which is illustrated in the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the saiddescription and drawings, as I may adopt variations of the preferredform within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the lowervator of my invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

In industrial plants, it is often necessary to lower articles from onefloor level to another without injuring them. A device which occupiescomparatively little space, and which gravitally conducts the articlesin such a manner as to resist the action of gravity thereon so as toprevent injury thereto is quite desirable.

In terms of broad inclusion, my invention comprises a. frame on whichare supported a vertical series of inclined guideways. The adjacentguideways ofthe series are sloped guideway to another. At thebottom,-means in opposite directions, so as to'permit an article passingtherethrough to follow a zigzag path. 'Means are provided forresistingly passing the article to the upper guideway, and means arealso provided, at the discharge end'of each guideway, for breaking thefall-of the article in its passage from one are provided for holdingthe. articles until it is desired to carry them away, and then thearticles can be released and discharged into a truck or anyo'therconveyor- In greater detail, my invention comprises a frame which ispreferably constructed of an open network of columns 2 and horizontaljoists 3, and which is located betweenthe lower floor l, and upperfloor-6 ofabui'lding- The joists 3 support a vertical series of inclinedguideWays-Y which are spaced from each other, 'andthe adjacent onesslope in oppositevdirections. In order to permit the passage of anarticle from one guideway to another, the lower end of each guideway,except that of the bottom, is inwardly spaced from the upper end of anadjacent one. I

Resilientmeans such as parallely spaced rubber or canvas flaps 8 arevertically fixed on the frame adjacent the lower ends of the guidewaysto resist and absorb the force of the fall of an article passing fromone guideway to another, in a manner illustrated by the bent portion 9of flap 8 in Fig.2. If the lower edges of the guideways are all adjacentand near to one side of the frame, the flaps may be fastened to eachjoist 3 on that side, to which the inclines are adjacent. However, ifthe lower endof a guideway does 90 not extend near to the side of theframe, as is shown by the upper guideway in Fig. 2, separate flaps areprovided, and these are also fastened to similar joists within theframe. At the upper end of the guideways is fixed a curved plate-11 toprevent the object from being caught between the edge and the flap.

Means are provided for holding the conducted articles on the bottomguideway, until it is desired to discharge a number of them into a truckor any other conveyor to be carried away. A trap door 12 is hinged onthat joist which is above the lower end of the bottom guideway. Thisguideway preferably projects out farther than the others, so that 105the door, when closed, can rest obliquely the articles to thelowervator.

thereon, and thereby hold the articles on the guideway until it isopened to permit them to fall therefrom. In the open position, the dooris adapted to rest against the flaps on the side of the frame; so that.if a workman should neglectfully forget to close it, the first articlehitting the portion of the flaps adja cent the door will cause them to,springout- Wardly and push the door into closed position before thearticle falls to the bottom guideway. This will prevent the article fromrolling upon the floor.

of resilient 'means such as a spring 18 in order to resist the action ofgravity upon an article passing thru the passage. This causes it tofall, gently, thru a hole '19 in the floor 6, upon the upper guideway.

From the above it can be seen that when an article such as an elongatedcylindrical carton is deposited in the passage formed by the walls Hand16, it Will fall gently upon the upper guideway and be gravitallvconducted along the'guideways. As the article falls from one incline toanother, the flaps 8 Will absorb'the force of the fall and at the sametime tend to straighten the aline-ment of the carton, to cause it toroll evenly on the guideway to which it I claim: 1. In a lowervator, aframe, a vertical series of inclined guideways supported on said frameso that adjacentguideways slope'in opposite directions, resilient meanssecured to the side ofthe frame terminating above the lower end of thebottom guideway and. adjacent. the upper end of the guideway above thebottom guideway, and a trap pivotally mounted adjacent the upper end ofthe guideway above the bottom guidewayand adapted to rest on the bottomguideway in closed position and against the resilient means in openposition. 2. In a lowervator, a frame, a vertical sefalls.

ries of inclined guideways supported. on said,

frame so thatadjacent guideways slope in opposite directions, a rubberflap secured to the side of the frame terminatingabove the lower end ofthe bottom guideway and adj acent. the upper end of the guideway abovethe bottom guideway, and a trap r pivotallyi mounted adjacent the upperendvof the guide way above the bottom guideway and adapt ed to rest onthe'bottom guideway in closed position and against the fiapin openposition.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLARD H. NUT'rrNe.

